Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Cheesecake Factory (CAKE)

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ: CAKE) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 2/23/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from “hold (c+)” to “buy (b-)”.
• 2/20/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was given a new $53.00 price target by UBS Group AG. They now have a “sell” rating on the stock.
• 2/19/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was given a new $62.00 price target by Robert W. Baird.
• 2/19/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was given a new $75.00 price target by Mizuho.
• 2/19/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its “underweight” rating reaffirmed by Barclays PLC. They now have a $58.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/19/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $72.00 to $74.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/19/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $55.00 to $60.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 2/19/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was downgraded by Stephens from “overweight” to “equal weight”. They now have a $65.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its price target raised by Mizuho from $65.00 to $70.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 2/9/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $65.00 to $72.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/21/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was downgraded by Raymond James Financial, Inc. from “outperform” to “market perform”.
• 1/21/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was given a new $60.00 price target by Raymond James Financial, Inc..
• 1/20/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $49.00 to $50.00. They now have an “underweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/15/2026 – Cheesecake Factory was downgraded by Weiss Ratings from “buy (b-)” to “hold (c+)”.
• 1/7/2026 – Cheesecake Factory had its price target raised by Barclays PLC from $48.00 to $51.00. They now have an “underweight” rating on the stock.

Cheesecake Factory Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Cheesecake Factory’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is 39.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Spero G. Alex sold 4,790 shares of Cheesecake Factory stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.00, for a total value of $316,140.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ashley W. Hanscom sold 2,951 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.64, for a total transaction of $193,703.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 11,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $724,731.24. This represents a 21.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,376 shares of company stock valued at $1,010,219 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.40% of the company’s stock.

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) is an American restaurant company and distributor renowned for its full-service casual-dining concept and specialty cheesecakes. Headquartered in Calabasas Hills, California, the company operates more than 200 restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory® brand across the United States, Puerto Rico and select international markets. In addition to sit-down dining, Cheesecake Factory franchised locations offer catering and take-out services, while a separate manufacturing arm supplies branded cheesecakes and desserts to supermarkets, hotels and other foodservice operators.

The origins of the brand trace back to a small cheesecake bakery founded in Detroit in the 1940s.